


A body language conversation.

by GenerallyGentle



Series: Garf, The Costco Man [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: ...I have no excuse. I'm a fanfic author. It's to be expected., Character study (body language), I swear he's my favorite NPC I just., Magnus' POV is weird because I'm projecting my ADHD onto him, More Magnus studying someone's body language (sorta), Multiple chapters will just be me emotionally doing a hit on Garfield, So?? Yeah. Magnus has ADHD.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:18:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenerallyGentle/pseuds/GenerallyGentle
Summary: When verbal communication fails at filling out the conversation, one can typically rely on body language at coloring in the blanks.(A series of body language practice focusing on a minor character.)





	1. Agitation, Customer Frustration

**Author's Note:**

> !!! Please read !!! Hewwo. I re-wrote all of these and I'm posting all of them again, not for any other reason other than the originals weren't as good as I wanted them to be.

Well, this trip to Fantasy Costco was certainly going...  
Okay.  
Yeah, "okay" was definitely the right word for it.

Magnus leans against the side of one of the changing rooms, brushing a hand over the buttons of his new cargo shorts that he had hung up on the clothing rack besides him. He's somewhat tuned into what he assumes is a conversation between Taako and Merle, bouncing discussion off of the two to keep his brain from wandering to far away from the fantasy wholesale store.  
He turns his attention to the store's owner for a moment, piquing up about pocket-based enchantments as a bit of a joke as Taako breaks away from the conversation to slip into the empty changing room.

Garfield is momentarily distracted by the question, ears flicking straight upwards and slightly in Magnus' direction before the catfolk shoots him a sidelong glance.  
The silent laugh isn't lost on him, the slightly upturned smirk and narrowed eyes that are soft around the edges.  
The interaction doesn't last more than a heartbeat though, Garfield eventually turning back to Merle with a beamingly fake smile and slightly hardened eyes.

"And Merle, for you?"

"Jodhpurs! I like the jodhpurs idea, and I want them right above the knee. With garters." Merle responds cheerfully, nodding to himself as if to reinforce his choice.

Garfield's entire face pulls taut briefly, his ears drooping down near the back of his skull and pressing flat, the tense look only failing to consume his smile -which remains stubbornly held in place like stone.

"Define that-" Garfield pauses, rubbing his hand against his forehead before gripping the bridge of his snout with his fingers, closing his eyes. "Define that word and use it in a sentence!"

The conversation devolves into a brief discussion that doesn't particularly solve anything in Magnus' opinion, confusion on Garfield's side and nonchalant cheerfulness on Merle's side eventually leaving the two on the same level of understanding they were before the conversation started.  
Taako steps out of the changing room as the confused babble is dying down, poking Magnus in the side to get is attention as Garfield floats away to find Merle's outlandish clothing choice.

"Do you have any clue what the hell he's talking about?" He asks, throwing the skirt he had picked over his shoulder casually.

"No clue." Magnus responds.

It takes Garfield a bit to return, holding a pair of pants in one hand and rubbing his temple with the other.

"I had to go into the back to find these for you." He remarks, his voice absolutely simmering on the edge of rage, jabbing the pointer finger of his free hand in Merle's direction before continuing. "But no, yeah, definitely... You want me to cut these off at the knee for you, just to give you sort of a-"

Merle jumps as he's brought out of his clothing shelf search turned daydream at Garfield's appearance, beaming and pressing his hands together happily as Magnus' attention span finally flickers out and his focus wanders, only brought back as Taako jabs him in the side again and jerks a thumb towards the checkout counter where Merle already stood.

By the time the two saddle up on either side of the dwarf Garfield is behind the register again, elbows dug into the counter and head cradled in his hands.

"Okay, so, I don't know if y'all deserve this now, but just put the stuff down on the counter. _Please_." He says eventually, straightening out and patting the countertop with a hand.

When the items are laid out he takes a moment to stare at what used to be a pair of jodhpurs and sighs slightly from between his teeth as he pulls his wand out from the arm of his robe, lackadaisically forcing the chipper tone back into his voice and waving the opalescent wand over the clothing

"Don't tell the Director about this!"

After a moment he stows the wand away, winking at the three and pushing the items back across the counter.

"That one's on the freeski-" He glances at Magnus for a moment before focusing back on Merle. "-for my most loyal customers."

Magnus sees Taako pull an unreadable look before his expression flattens back out again, the elf reaching and and carefully plucking his skirt from the counter.

"Thanks, Garfield. Can we leave now?" He asks, raising an eyebrow as Garfield drops his chin back into his hands with a look edging on complete reassignment aside from the still eerily stone-held smile.

"I wish you would."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: *Steeples fingers* How do fic notes work? AO3 is realllllly messing me up.  
> Body language is one hell of a thing to work out.  
> Feat: My attempt at figuring out how to translate cat-based body language into human-like body language.


	2. Fear, Anger, and Sadness.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, emotions can't be explained in words- and stubborn souls would prefer it that way.

"The signs says open 24 hours..." Merle says quietly, jabbing his thumb over his should at the sign plastered onto the sliding door of the Fantasy Costco in emphasis.

"Well... That doesn't really take into account the... Apocalypse." Garfield responds, turning his eyes briefly to the glass ceiling of the stock-empty Costco with nervous energy behind his expression. "So, I've gotta hit the ol' road, Jack." His tone falters near the end and he pauses, swiping his paw against his mouth as if he could physically remove the waver from his voice.

Magnus -cursing everything about the state of his physical existence- barely manages to suppress a shudder as the phantom feeling of his hair standing on end swamps his senses. Everything about the sight in front of him is screaming red-light alarm bells, each and every one focused on Garfield like a floodlight.  
The catfolk is visibly on edge, from the of his whiskers flat against his muzzle, to the tuck of his tail beneath his cloak- wrapped around one of his legs and bristled nearly double it's usual size.

Taako seems to spot the signs too, hand tightening onto the umbrastaff in a gesture that Magnus knows is meant to be grounding. He seems disconcerted by Garfield's nerves, but to untrained eyes nothing about his stance had changed at all.

"What- what's happening-" Taako trips over the first few words, tossing his own eyes to the ceiling for a moment before they return to look at the warlock . "-wait, what's happening?"

Garfield finally pulls his eyes from the glass above his head and settles them full stop on Taako, his face contorted between a look of confusion, irritation, and rising waves of pure anxiety.

"I'm not, uh, 100% sure, but look outside!" He throws a hand up in emphasis and motions at the dark clouds spreading across the expanse of the sky. "It's clearly pretty- about to pop off in a pretty bad way out there!"

Taako's eyes follow the hand up to sky and he grimaces slightly. Magnus can see the dawning look of realization and he can't quite shake the growing feeling of dread that the sight brings, either. He had noticed the clouds sure, who of their group hadn't? But he hadn't given it more than about half a thought until this moment.  
But Garfield's voice is quick to pull the group's attention back to the situation at hand, the constantly changing tone suddenly still and quiet as he speaks.

"And it's also, I mean what's - also what's the point of-" He pauses, bowing his head slightly, and Magnus can spot the exact moment the tears start to show- the watery sound in the back of his throat just barely suppressed. "-damn it, Taako. The last time you came in here, you thwarted me in a test of mercantile wits that I'll never recover from, so my days as a shopkeep are over."

For a moment Garfield raises his head to meet Taako's gaze, body slowly floating down until his feet are planted firmly on the floor and hands almost panicked wiping away the tears that had dampened the fur around his eyes.

"I've been humiliated."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feelings and Warlocks, two wonderful things.


	3. Lying, Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "To deflect is to avoid the subject that the lie is about, not giving attention to the lie. When attention is given to the subject the lie is based around, deflectors ignore or refuse to respond."

The whole interaction seemed off from the the get-go, even for Garfield standards.

His hands were what gave him away at first  
Outstretched claws that trace their way almost nervously along the intricate pattern of the metal shield as they briefly conversed over the inherent value of the armor- now official merch that lay at the keen-eyed mercy of the shopkeep.  
They still eventually, pausing momentarily in the very middle of the shield before retracting, leaving gentle groves in their place as his paw comes fully to rest.

His eyes give him away next.  
The permanently moving, darting gaze that Magnus had come to know was suddenly focused square on him. Amber eyes softened briefly, running over the expanse of his face before retreating back to his eyes.  
The difference feels sudden and unwelcome -intrusive almost. And never the one for sudden character change Magnus is immediately unnerved, taking a handful of steps back from the counter.

Everything else from there only serves to back up the suspicious feeling after that, and Magnus can't stop seeing the signs.  
His actions are rushed and almost desperate in their feverishness- grasping harshly at the edge of the shield once the deal had been completed and yanking it back behind the counter as if the fighter was going to suddenly change his mind.  
His entire posture is different, back held ram-rod straight instead of his usual relaxed arch, arms held awkwardly at his sides when his hands aren't busy wringing together in a nervousness that almost seems cliche, with his tail wrapped nervously around his waist as another huge tell that falls easily onto the pile alongside the rest.

That doesn't serve at calming his nerves as Garfield tucks the shield against his chest and flashes him a far-to-wide kind of smile, prompting a nervous look in return and an equally nervous question.

"What are you gonna do with it, Garfield?"

Garfield shoots a look over the shield, eyes still wide and seemingly unsure for a moment before finally narrowing to match the smile- a look that Magnus knows is so much more natural than the one before it- and responds without really answering the question.

"Good transaction!-" He croons, slipping the shield beneath the counter and out of sight as he begun the sentence. "-Everyone got what they needed." 

The fighter sighs from between his teeth and forces his shoulders to unwind, well if you can't beat 'em... He takes a few comically large steps back, holding up his hands with an amused smirk. "Oh no. Am I gonna die?" He can't help but laugh for a moment as he drops his hands, covering his mouth to stifle the rest of his laughter with one of them as he does so.

A sour note catches the moment for only a second, as Garfield's ears droop forward and the softness in his smile fades, instead transferring to his voice as he shakes his head slightly. "No, dear."


End file.
